Pennsylvania teen accused of plotting with friends to kill grandfather and rob him of $30,000

Joseph Monka was brutally beaten and stabbed in the neck sometime Monday before his granddaughter, Gabriella Elizabeth Long and her friends stole his car and roughly $30,000 he kept in a basement safe. (Obtained by New York Daily News)

The granddaughter of a 71-year-old Pennsylvania man found dead in his home this week allegedly developed a vicious plot with her boyfriend and pal to murder her grandfather and rob him of the $30,000 he had stashed away in a safe, according to court documents.

The bloody body of Joseph Monka was discovered Wednesday tucked beneath a large dresser on the second floor of his Ewardsville residence, two days after authorities believe he was killed. He was beaten with a golf club and then stabbed in the neck until he was dead, according to charging documents obtained by The Citizen’s Voice.

Authorities are also seeking a fourth suspect, 20-year-old Devin Malik Cunningham, who remained on the loose Saturday afternoon. All four suspects face charges of criminal homicide, conspiracy to commit murder, theft, conspiracy to commit theft, unauthorized use of a vehicle and tampering with evidence.

Police responded to the crime scene after a person entered Monka’s home to check on his welfare, only to find that it had been ransacked.

Police said the suspects showered before stealing Monka’s car to flee from the scene. From there, they drove to the Wyoming Valley Mall, where they purchased new clothes, according to the criminal complaint.

When questioned by authorities, the suspects said they were all together in Long’s room until both Cortez and Cunningham left for about a half hour. When they returned, they found their friend covered in blood and Monka lying on the ground, the Voice reported.